Livestreaming from Apple Park in California, the latest iPhone SE was one several new products at the company’s spring event. The US tech giant also introduced a new iPad Air and an upgraded Mac desktop, as well as the latest Apple M1 Ultra chip.
The third generation of Apple’s budget phone, first launched in 2016, starts at US$429, higher than the US$399 starting price of the previous SE model.
But the latest iPhone SE is powered by Apple’s own A15 processor — the same chip that goes into iPhone 13 models costing hundreds of dollars more — and supports 5G, a feature to attract customers in the new global wireless standard network.
“iPhone SE brings the advanced features and exceptional performance to our most affordable iPhone,” Apple CEO Tim Cook said. “It’s going to appeal to existing iPhone users who want a highly capable iPhone and for new users who want to experience iPhone for the first time.”
The new iPhone SE looks like a refreshed version of the iPhone 8 and has a 4.7-inch display with a home button. The new model comes in black, white and red, and will be available to order Friday. Shipping will start March 18.
The 5G iPhone SE’s “value proposition for consumers is a standout relative to competitors and could translate into some further Android share gains”, said Dan Ives, managing director at Wedbush Securities.
However, Ben Wood, chief analyst at market research firm CCS Insight, said the US$429 starting price may keep Apple from reaching more budget-conscious consumers.
“The iPhone SE is a long way from the sub US$200 5G Android smartphones currently offered by several Chinese manufacturers,” he said.
Meanwhile, Apple introduced Mac Studio, a new Mac desktop that will be powered by M1 Max and M1 Ultra — an upgraded Apple semiconductor that is seven times faster than the original M1 chip.
Apple first introduced its in-house designed M1 chip — which is based on technology from SoftBank-owned chip design house Arm — in November 2020 to replace Intel processors as the brains of Mac computers. At the time, Apple said it would take two years to complete the transition from Intel chips to its own.
With the introduction of the M1-powered Mac Studio, Mac Pro is the only one left in the company’s Mac lineup that still uses Intel processors.
Mac Studio with M1 Max chip will start at US$1,999, while the M1 Ultra model starts at US$3,999. Both models are available to order and will begin shipping on March 18.
At Tuesday’s event, Apple also introduced a new Mac display which starts at US$1,999, and a new iPad Air powered by the M1 chip. The new iPad Air will be 5G capable and starts at US$599. The company also added a new colour — green — to the iPhone 13 lineup.
Apple shares were up slightly in afternoon trading Tuesday.